Improving Mental Health Services in Response to Severe Weather: A Proposal for States

Extreme weather events have been on the rise, and there is evidence that these crises are leading to a significant increase in mental health problems for those affected.

Research conducted around the United States following weather-related disasters has documented evidence of alarming increases in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, suicide, intimate partner violence, child and elder abuse, substance abuse, overwhelmed care and support systems, and community displacement and migration, among other impacts.

According to mental health experts, the good news is that effective and feasible methods for mitigating the psychosocial impacts of weather emergencies already exist and, if promptly and appropriately implemented, have the potential to prevent trauma for generations.

Please join us on Thursday, December 22 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. for an interactive conversation with Dr. Jon Gorman, Ph.D., and his colleagues from the Climate Psychiatry Alliance and the Climate Psychology Alliance-North America, who will discuss their legislative proposal to provide communities with the tools to address this growing crisis. The proposal would require a state to convene a workgroup and make recommendations to improve mental health services in response to severe weather events and other climate-related impacts. The discussion will be moderated by Massachusetts state Senator Marc Pacheco.